Laurence Allen, co-founder and CEO of Terranova, explains how his startup lifts land out of flood zones by injecting slurries of waste wood chips deep underground, an inexpensive, scalable alternative to seawalls, levees, and demolition. Drawing on a 1970s Venice mudjacking experiment and powered by autonomous robots and AI geology modeling, Terranova aims to be 'the anti-subsidence,' protecting whole communities and critical infrastructure. Allen also reflects on his formative internship at SpaceX, his maker upbringing, the intensity of deep-tech founding, and his vision for licensing the technology to contractors worldwide.
Abe Tarapani is the CEO of Atlas AI, a Palo Alto-based geospatial AI company that uses satellite imagery and machine learning to generate actionable insights on economic, agricultural, and infrastructure trends across emerging markets. A Yale-trained electrical engineer and Presidential Scholar recognized by the Clinton White House, Tarapani has spent nearly two decades at the intersection of renewable energy, data for development, and social impact. He joined Atlas AI in October 2020, steering a company founded by Stanford professors toward enterprise partnerships with the World Bank, DARPA, McKinsey, and Airbus, while earning recognition as a 2024 Google Cloud Partner of the Year and Gavi INFUSE Pacesetter.